An adaptive cruise control (ACC) system controls acceleration, braking, and steering of a vehicle to guide the vehicle within a lane, to switch lanes, to park the vehicle, to pass other vehicles, and/or to maintain a following space in front of the vehicle. The ACC system relies on sensory feedback (e.g., feedback from radar sensors, LiDAR sensors, GPS sensors, and cameras) to detect a current vehicle location and to recognize roadside features and other vehicles within an immediate vicinity. The ACC system also relies on stored information (e.g., maps, road quality information, traffic information, construction information, weather information, etc.) regarding an area in which the vehicle is operating.
Existing ACC systems are semi-autonomous and require at least some input from a human operator. For example, a typical ACC system may need to be manually activated and has settings that can be specified by the operator. These settings may include, for example, a distance of the following space to be maintained in front of the vehicle; when the vehicle should change lanes, pass another vehicle, or park itself; a desired speed or travel route; etc. In addition, some ACC systems require periodic input from the operator in order to continue semi-automated control, even if the input does not include an adjustment to current settings. The different inputs described above are received from the operator via the steering wheel (e.g., via buttons, switches, toggles, dials, knobs, etc. that are housed within or around the steering wheel) in conventional ACC system arrangements.
Although the arrangements of conventional ACC systems may be suitable for some applications, they are still less than optimal. Specifically, because the input devices of the conventional arrangements are housed within or around the steering wheel, the operator may need to remain sitting upright and within arm's reach of the steering wheel. This position may be uncomfortable, tiring, and/or inconvenient for extended travel.
The ACC system and center-console access device of the present disclosure may mitigate or solve one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.